CrossFit Performance of the Week: Dre Strohm Returns to Competition, Winning the 615 Throwdown

This CrossFit Performance of the Week is also a comeback story. Over the weekend of Jan. 28, 2023, Dre Strohm made his first live competition appearance since the 2019 CrossFit Games. He proceeded to show the CrossFitters everywhere that he’s ready to make a run at an Individual Games spot in 2023.

At the 615 Throwdown, Strohm finished in the top five in all seven events, including two workout wins. The two-day event occurred at the Tennessee State Fairgrounds in Nashville, TN, from Jan 28-29, 2023. Below is a closer look at Strohm’s performance.

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Dre Strohm at the 615 Throwdown

The key to Strohm’s victory at the 615 Throwdown involved keeping the competition close through day one. That meant remaining within striking distance of Brandon Smith, who won the first four events.

Strohm placed second in the opening event, finishing three seconds behind Smith in a sandbag workout featuring carries and cleans. After a two-minute break, the second event started. Strohm ranked second again behind Smith, with only one hang clean rep separating the two. Strohm tied Smith in the third event of the day, a 5K row, with a time of 17:24.00. Strohm finished fourth in the final event on day one, three reps behind Smith. Strohm ended the day in second place, five points behind Smith.

Strohm made his move on the second day of competition. The first event of the day was a two-part workout, wherein Strohm recorded his best and worst finish of the weekend. The first part of the workout was a triplet including four rounds on the Ski Erg, 50 double-unders, and 12 chest-to-bar pull-ups. Strohm won the first part at 5:28.00.

The second part of the workout was another triplet, this time with weighted double-unders, eight bar muscle-ups, and handstand walks. Strohm completed 143 reps, resulting in a fifth-place finish. This was his worst placing of the weekend. Still, it helped him move into first place overall.

Heading into the final event, Strohm had 15 points, four ahead of Smith in second. The Mayhem athlete held off Smith, who won his fifth event of the competition but couldn’t match Strohm’s consistency. Strohm placed third in the event to secure the overall competition win and a $3,000 cash payout.

Who is Dre Strohm?

Strohm seemingly stepped away from CrossFit competition after he helped the Mayhem Freedom team win the Affiliate Cup at the 2019 CrossFit Games. That team, which consisted of Strohm, Rich Froning, Chyna Cho, and Tasia Percevecz, won their Games title by 192 points over CrossFit Krypton. At the time, it was the fourth title for Mayhem Freedom in five years and their second straight.

Strohm announced at the post-Games press conference in 2019 that he would take time away from the sport. He later became Director of Apparel and Merchandise for the CrossFit Mayhem brand and got married while settling down in his new role in Cookeville, TN.

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Before winning his Games title in 2019, Strohm was an Individual competitor who appeared at five Regionals, placing as high as 10th place twice in both 2016 and 2018. The 2016 season was his most successful as an Individual competitor — he placed a career-best 27th in the worldwide CrossFit Open. During the 2017 and 2018 seasons, Strohm was the alternate for the Mayhem Freedom team.

In 2022, Strohm showed signs of a possible return as he participated in the Open, placing 500th worldwide, qualifying him for the North America Quarterfinals. He placed 173rd in the Quarterfinals, finishing 53 spots short of qualifying for the Semifinals.

Know a Great CrossFit Athlete?

If you’d like to submit an athlete to be considered for BarBend’s CrossFit Performance of the Week, please email Patrick Clark at patrick@barbend.com.

For athletes to be considered, it must be for accomplishments for the preceding week (Monday-Sunday) and must be received no later than 5:00 p.m. EST the Monday after. Please include any verifiable results, links, and a brief explanation of why that athlete should be considered.

Featured Image: @drestrohm on Instagram